Music Interview: Segue Safari

Segue Safari are an ace local band whose EP ‘Friends’ scored this week’s Music of the Week on our website. We exchange some questions with the band’s mastermind Jeremy Segal, ahead of their gig at the Bird on the 17th.

So who are Segue Safari and how did you start up?

Segue Safari is me, Sam Blitvich, Daniel Zeljko and Jacob Sartori. We started up in late 2014 when I had a whole bunch of songs written but no band to play them with.

What would you say are the primary influences on your music, be they fellow musicians, artist, films, books etc.?

Between the four of us there’s quite an eclectic range of influences, but I think we definitely meet each other at The Strokes. I’m a huge fan of any music that’s slightly poppy, but also a bit weird – like early Brian Eno and pretty much all of Bowie. Also, I watch an unhealthy amount of Seinfeld.

Who are your favourite local artists?

Methyl Ethel are definitely a favourite for me (I think they’re a favourite for everyone right now). Also Ah Trees, Verge Collection and AJ Wigwams.
So your new EP ‘Friends’ has a couple of great tracks on it, which one would you say is your favourite?

Thank you! I’d have to say Easy Target is a favourite of mine, probably because I spent a ridiculous amount of time mixing it.

How did the recording process go?

The recording process was a whole lot of fun, but it was really fragmented. I recorded Time and Where the Clouds Collide when the band was just starting out, and then we recorded the other three tracks in June/July last year. We did all of the drums at The Garage in Osborne Park. I kept stuffing up the drum mic’ing, so some of the songs we would have re-tracked at least twice.

I’m pretty certain that Jake hates me for that. All of the guitar, bass, synth and vocal tracks we did in my bedroom. I went away for two months in August and started mixing literally as soon as I got home in October.

Do the songs change much in a live setting compared to their studio versions?

Some of them change a little bit, but not too much. The outro in Easy Target is pretty different – on the recording we chopped up the vocal track and messed with it a fair bit, which we can’t really pull of live. Other than that and the general lo-fi-ness of the record, it’s pretty much the same.

You’ve gone on record that you’re a big Kanye fan, what are your thoughts on The Life of Pablo?

I’m not going to lie, I’m actually not that much of a Kanye fan. Daniel is though. Here’s what he has to say:

“I was pretty disappointed. Usually his albums are normally a trend setter for the coming years in the genre, but this one just felt like an amalgamation of all his past styles but done poorly. And the lyricism…”

Do you see any Kanye influence in your own music?

We recently decided that all music before Kanye is just proto-Kanye, and all music after Kanye’s first record is post-Kanye. In that sense, anyone making music anywhere is influenced by Kanye.
Finally what lies in the future for Segue Safari?

We’re going to start tracking another EP in the month! Also, we’re hoping to rack up a Kanye support.